


Memoirs of a Princess

by leonanette



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: The Golden Cat, The Hound Pits Pub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-22 12:57:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10697484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonanette/pseuds/leonanette
Summary: This is the story of The Princess, The Black Twin and The White Twin.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is another narrative voice exercise, as well as a way of offloading some headcanons about Emily and the Pendletwins before Corvo's escape. The prologue is from Treavor's POV and the rest of the chapters will be told by Emily, with a few interludes from Treavor's POV sprinkled in.

_Three days until the Boyle Party._

Treavor flicked the stop switch and the audiograph slipped out of the player. That was all he could record at the moment. He would need more wine before he could talk about the aftermath of his tenth birthday party. Much more wine.

It was stupid. His brothers had been spirited away by Slackjaw. He had nothing to fear from them so why was he still unable to speak of their acts?

He turned over his shoulder to call for Wallace –

And saw Lady Emily standing in the doorway and looking at him with the intense gaze that already resembled her mother’s.

After a month of silence, Lady Emily asked, “Are you making a diary, Lord Treavor?”

If she had been anyone but the upcoming empress, Treavor would have rather told her to mind her own business. However, he needed to stay in her good books if he wanted to come out of this Conspiracy well so he answered, “In a manner of speaking, yes. I’m composing my memoirs. It’s similar to a diary but this is one I intend to publish to the public. We’re in the middle of a great historic event, after all, and people will want to know everything about those who took part in it.”

“Like a history book?” Lady Emily pulled a face that rankled Treavor so much that he added.

“Much more interesting than that. This will have a more personal touch, more like a story than anything like a history book.”

“Oh.” Lady Emily nodded, looking more interested. Treavor cleared his throat and was just about to ask her to go back to her lessons (in the politest way he could) when she asked another question that took him completely off guard, “How do you talk about nasty things like you did just now?”

So, she had been listening in to him. Treavor struggled for words. How on earth could he respond to such a question from a ten-year-old girl?

“I, ah, pretend it’s a story. That it’s not really about me but someone else. Who also happens to have cruel twin brothers.”

It sounded ridiculous. Even a young girl would find it laughable. But, to her credit, Lady Emily didn’t laugh out loud, “Okay. So, if it’s a story, then it can’t hurt you?”

“That’s the essence of it.” Treavor dearly hoped that would be the last question. Where on earth was Miss Curnow?

“I understand. Thanks for that, I’ll see you later.” With that, she turned a half-circle on the spot and trotted away.

Treavor had no idea what to make of the exchange or what he had done to deserve her thanks. Perhaps, he had been wrong and her mind was not as tough as he’d hoped. Still, it wasn’t the pressing issue. His mouth was dry and all the bottles in his room were empty. He opened his mouth to call for Wallace again –

And, Corvo appeared at the doorway. Treavor started. Even without his mask, Corvo still made him uneasy. The way he could creep up on people…it was almost like he had the power of teleportation or whatever it was Piero called it. One could never be sure whether he was close by and or how much he had heard.

“Hello, Corvo. I’ve heard that one of the Boyle women has been funding the Lord Regent. I honestly can’t say I’m surprised.”

Corvo raised an eyebrow and his mouth quirked upwards in a way that could denote amusement. Had he been listening in to his memoir recording too? Or had he been listening to court gossip?

“That was a very good thing you just did.”

The comment snapped Treavor out of his train of thought so effectively that it felt like being slapped across the face, “Oh, er, well, I’m, ah, not entirely sure what I’ve done.”

“You gave Emily a way of talking about past events. She hasn’t been able to open up about what happened to her at the Golden Cat yet. If this way works, she may be able to put it behind her.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, this is Emily's POV now in storytelling form.

Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a tower with her mother, the Empress, and their Lord Protector. The Princess was happy there. The Lord Protector was kind and brave and the Empress was beautiful and clever.

Then, one day, men with whaler masks on their faces came. They fought the Lord Protector and used magic to hold him back while their leader, a man dressed in red…killed the Empress. A Whaler in Black grabbed the Princess and took her away by magic. They took her to a dark smelly abandoned place and locked her in an old office. The Whalers in Black never spoke to her, no matter how much she screamed and cried, but, when she had finished crying, the Princess listened hard at the door and heard them talking to each other.

The first Whaler in Black said, (*in a lower voice*)‘We were told the bodyguard wouldn’t be there. If I had known he would be there, I would not have taken the job so readily.’

And the second Whaler in Black said, (*in a different lower voice*) ‘It did not matter in the end. The contract was a success.’

‘The bodyguard injured several of our best men. They’re lucky to escape with their lives. I hope Burrows pays us extra for our trouble.’

‘He will. He knows how things end for clients who don’t pay.’

‘I still don’t understand why she needed to be taken in the first place. Surely, Burrows could have simply locked her away in the Tower if he was worried that she would tell everyone the truth. Surely, there’s enough room.’

‘He wants to look like a hero, of course. He’ll reveal her when the time is right and make it look like he rescued her. It’ll silence anyone who doubts his authority.’

They talked about other things but the Princess had stopped listening. She had heard all she needed to. She knew why the Empress had been killed and what was going to happen to her in the future. She knew she had to escape.

She tried pulled off the boards on the window but that didn’t work. She peeled back the wallpaper and tried to find a hole in the wall but that didn’t work. All she could find was a hole between the window boards that was just big enough to put her arm through. She could see water outside and thought it was the river. So, she tore a page from one of the books and wrote a message asking for help. She put it in an empty bottle and threw it out.

She waited but no help came. A few days later, the Whalers in Black put a blindfold on her and took her away.


	3. Interlude 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Treavor again.

_Two days until the Boyle party._

With every day of inaction, the atmosphere in the Hound Pits Pub grew more tense. Treavor’s nerves were too frayed to attempt recording an audiograph or to deal with anyone so he sought refuge in the whiskey storage room. Or, he tried to.

As soon as he’d taken a step over the threshold, there was a terrific CLANG that made him jump two feet into the air. He whipped to the right and tried to dart into the bathroom. How had the City Watch entered the pub without his knowledge –

“Oof!” He bowled straight into Lydia, sending the pair of them toppling to the floor. Lydia recovered herself in a second and scrambled out from under Treavor, “I’ll be finished cleaning in here in a minute, milord. If you’re that desperate, go in the river.”

Her lack of respect never failed to annoy Treavor and never more in this instance, “Never mind scrubbing the privy, you stupid cow! The City Watch are upon us! Didn’t you hear them in the store room?”

Lydia frowned and, then, to Treavor’s astonishment, grinned, “Sorry, milord. I didn’t know the City Watch had come. Couldn’t hear anything over the noise of Corvo and Lady Emily having a play fight.”

“What?” Just as Treavor said it, he heard a girl’s cheer from the storage room and a man’s mock cry of pain. He dropped his head back on the floor and dearly wished the Void would open beneath him and swallow him whole.

Lydia at least had the grace not to laugh in front of him. Instead, she stood up, dusted herself off and said, “I’d better tell them to wrap it up soon. They’re using my good copper pots and it’s nearly time to make the dinner.”

Once she had left the room, Treavor felt safe to stand up and start pretending his false alarm never happened. Out of curiousity, however, he decided not to retreat to his room and approached the storage room again. Looking down over the walkway rail, he saw the most bizarre thing he had seen at the Hound Pits Pub.

The former Lord Protector, Lord Corvo Attano, and the heir to the throne, Lady Emily Kaldwin, were wearing copper pots on their heads and having a sword fight with broomsticks. Lady Emily dodged a slash from Corvo and brought her broomstick hard on Corvo’s head. The clang of copper resounded around the room but that didn’t stop either of them. Corvo only paused to say, “Very good. Now, try to aim for my stomach. Knocking the wind out of your opponent is the best way to bring him down. Come on. Hard as you like.”

Other voices came from behind Treavor. Wallace and…the other servant joined the growing crowd on the walkway. Treavor could hear Wallace mutter, “So that’s where the brooms went.” Then, no doubt attracted by the noise, Martin and Havelock appeared. Martin tittered at the sight but Havelock muttered darkly about the level of noise. The door to the courtyard opened and Samuel appeared. He blinked a few times, stupefied at the sight, then leaned against the wall to enjoy the show.

Finally, the courtyard door opened a second time and Miss Curnow, looking furious, entered. She opened her mouth, no doubt to chastise Lady Emily for missing her lessons, but Samuel put a hand on her arm, shook his head and said something that sounded like, “Let her have a little fun.”

Neither combatants seemed to be aware of their growing audience. Lady Emily seemed to be having the time of her life, throwing her weight behind the broom at every swipe. At last, she gave a sharp thrust under Corvo’s arm and brought the handle straight into his stomach.

It looked like the blow should hurt but not to the extent that Corvo was acting it. He doubled over, dropping his broom and, with a loud groan, toppled to the floor. Emily ran to him, put on foot on his chest, raised her broom high in the air and declared, “I win!”

“Yes, O mighty empress,” Corvo said in a wheedling voice that didn’t suit him at all, “you have bested me but please spare my life. I have so much to live for. I’m sorry that I ever thought of raising a hand to you. O mighty and beautiful empress, please spare me.”

“Well,” Lady Emily pulled a face as if she was giving the matter serious thought, “you did attack an Empress and that’s high treason so you _should_ be executed but you said you’re sorry so you won’t. Instead,” She again paused to think, “I’ll make you clean out the privy for a year.”

“Really?” Lydia spoke up, unable to suppress the silly grin on her face, “That’s lucky. I haven’t got around to cleaning it yet and Admiral Havelock left a little surprise in there this morning.”

Corvo adopted an expression of horror, “On second thoughts, O mighty, merciful and beautiful empress, please execute me!”

That was it. Lydia snorted and that started the whole audience laughing. Once he had started, Treavor found it impossible to stop. Perhaps, it was the tension in the air or perhaps because he’d had little reason to laugh since his brothers’ disappearance but Treavor was soon clutching his sides and howling with laughter in a most un-lordly way. Lady Emily gave a low bow to her audience as if she were on stage and, once he’d stood up, made a blushing Corvo do the same.

“Alright, alright!” Miss Curnow finally called the whole room to order, “This has been fun but this has made Lady Emily miss her mathematics lesson. Lady Emily, if we start now and work extra hard, we might not have to work into the night.”

“I was having a lesson!” Lady Emily protested, “Corvo said this was a fighting lesson.”

Miss Curnow turned her eyes on Corvo who actually winced at her look, “Sorry, Callista. It was only meant to be ten minutes. We both lost track of time a bit.”

The group was just beginning to disperse when Samuel spoke up, “Beg pardon, your Ladyship, but I think you dropped something.”

He pointed to a scrap of white cloth on the floor. Lady Emily hurried over to pick it up and, when she straightened up, she gave a loud, “Oh!” that caught everyone’s attention once more.

“What is it?” Corvo asked, adopting the serious attitude Treavor was more familiar with.

“I forgot to give it back.” Lady Emily said.

“Give it back?” Corvo repeated, mystified, “Did you get it from one of the ladies at the Golden Cat?”

“No. I, uh, got it from Morgan Pendleton.”

“What?” Treavor and Havelock said at once. Unable to believe it, Treavor pushed through the crowd and down the steps.

“May I see it?” When Lady Emily handed it over, Treavor could tell after a moment’s examination that she was right. It was much too big and thick to be anything but a man’s handkerchief and, embroidered in curling letters, were the initials M.P. He handed the handkerchief back to Emily without a word. He was a great deal too confused to trust himself to say anything without sounding stupid.

Martin, however, had no such scruples, “Forgive me if I sound blunt but did you steal it from him, Lady Emily?”

“No, he gave it to me.” Then, she spun on her heel, stuffed the handkerchief in her pocket, “I need to get to lessons,” and hurried away.

“Well, now,” Martin said to Treavor as everyone started drifting away, “from what I heard of your brothers, that was quite uncharacteristic but I doubt that was a lie.”

“Yes.” Treavor nodded, reaching up the racks for what might be a bottle of wine, “Very uncharacteristic.” He brought the bottle down and found it was only whiskey.

_Oh, well. It’ll do._


	4. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emily's POV this time. Here come the Pendletwins!

The Princess heard different voices while she couldn’t see and guessed she had been taken away somewhere in a railcar. When the blindfold came off, she found herself in a completely different place and there was an ugly woman wearing a red wig and lots of makeup standing in front of her. She was the Madame and she was not nice at all. She told her to stay where she was or she would be very sorry indeed.

When the Princess told her she would have her thrown in prison for keeping a princess locked up, the Madame slapped her and told her that she wasn’t a Princess. She was just a mouthy brat who would do as she was told if she knew what was good for her. Then, the Madame left.

When the Princess had finished crying, she did what she had done at the Whalers’ house. She pressed her ear to the door and the walls and listened to what the people around her were saying. She heard ladies talking in the rooms next to her. They talked about the men they had served that day and they included the Black Twin and the White Twin. The ladies said that the White Twin liked to see them cry.

The Princess sneaked out of her room whenever it was quiet and looked all around for ways to escape. She was extra careful because she didn’t want to get caught by the nasty Madame. She looked out of the windows and saw the river. She went downstairs and found lots of fancy rooms. She wanted to explore more but the Madame appeared so the Princess had to sneak back upstairs.

One day, the White Twin came into her room and he said, (*in a low drawling voice*) ‘So, this is our Empress, is it? Ha, no wonder everything’s going to the Void in a fishing vessel.’

The Princess knew his voice from the railcar so she instantly disliked him and she said, ‘What do you want?”

The White Twin said, ‘Believe it or not, it is possible to get bored at the Golden Cat so I’ve decided to come and see you. Say, did you draw that?’ He picked up one of the Princess’ drawings, ‘It looks ugly. It needs to be thrown on the fire.’

The Princess said, ‘I won’t cry if you do.’

She thought that would make him go away but he just gave her a nasty smile and said, ‘Oh, really? We’ll see about that.’

He set fire to all of the Princess’ drawings and the Princess didn’t cry. She wanted to cry but she stopped herself because she didn’t want to make the White Twin happy but the White Twin was happy anyway.

He said, ‘This is fun. Why don’t we play a little game, little Empress? You must be bored out of your skull by now so you’d like to play a game, wouldn’t you? I’ll come back every three days and, if you don’t cry for six months, I’ll let you escape. But, if you cry, I win and you stay here forever.’

And, that’s the White Twin did. He came into the Princess’ room every three days and did something to make her cry. He tore up her drawings, said nasty things about her, the Empress and the Lord Protector, dumped a jar of spiders on her head, killed a bird in front of her, showed her a cage of rats and did all sorts of nasty things but the Princess didn’t cry. When the White Twin was gone, she cried but she never cried in front of him. She didn’t want to make him happy.

Then, after many visits, the White Twin was running out of ideas so he slapped the Princess. She was so shocked that she forgot to stop herself crying. She started crying and the White Twin started making fun of her. He called her names and said she wasn’t fit to be Empress because Empresses didn’t cry.

The Princess was so angry that she stamped as hard as she could on his foot and shouted at him for picking on a little girl just because he was bored and that Empresses did cry if her family was killed in front of her and she was locked up with nasty people.

The White Twin stopped laughing and the Princess thought he might hit her again. Then, he said, ‘You look ugly when you cry’, tossed his handkerchief at her and then he left.

The White Twin didn’t come back to make her cry again and the Princess didn’t see him for a long time.


	5. Chapter 3

The Princess kept sneaking around the building when it was quiet. She found out that it was called the Golden Cat but she didn’t know why. There were no cats of any colour anywhere, only fancy-dressed ladies and well-dressed gentlemen.

She had been told by the Madame that the Lord Protector had been executed but she didn’t believe her. She thought he might be hiding from the Lord Regent and looking for her so she made another message in a bottle and sneaked to a window facing the river in one of the fancy rooms. She threw it over the balcony and it landed in the water. But, just as she was about to sneak out, the Black Twin came into the room and saw her.

He dragged her to the Madame who was mad at her for being out of her room. She threatened to smack her with a ruler if she did it again and took her back to her room.

The Princess noticed that the Golden Cat was busy at night and quiet during the day so the Princess thought that would be the best time to escape. She tried to run through the front door when everything was quiet and she found a City Watch Officer. She told him who she was and asked him to take her back to the Tower.

The City Watchman smiled and said he knew where she needed to go. He grabbed her arm and dragged her right back into the Golden Cat. The Madame was really mad at the Princess. She smacked her five times on the back of the neck with a ruler and made her go without dinner that night.

But the Princess didn’t give up. She tried going through the front door again and, this time, she avoided the City Watch. She brought out a broken door and tried to use it as a raft to paddle up the river to the Tower but the raft sank and the Princess got her clothes wet. One of the fancy-dressed ladies found her and took her back to the Golden Cat. The fancy-dressed lady dried her clothes and said she wouldn’t tell the Madame but that she wouldn’t cover up for her again. She said it was (*high pitched voice*) ‘more than my job’s worth’.

The Princess gave up on trying to escape through the front door. She listened to the fancy-dressed ladies talking and found out that there was a VIP exit at the bottom of the stairs that were used by special people who didn’t want to be seen going in and out. The Princess thought that would be the best way to escape.

So, when everything was quiet, the Princess sneaked downstairs and found the VIP Exit. The door was unlocked and the Princess was so sure she would escape that way. She took a few steps but, then, the Madame appeared and she was really, really mad at the Princess. She gave her ten smacks on the back of the neck with the ruler and told her that she would throw her out to play with the weepers if she could work her will. The Princess didn’t know what a weeper was yet but she knew they were something bad if the Madame was using them as a threat.

The VIP Exit was locked after that and the ladies kept the key in their dormitories. So, one night, when the ladies were all working downstairs, the Princess sneaked into their dormitories, took the key and went back to the VIP Exit. This time, she made sure to look over her shoulder to check the Madame wasn’t there.

She unlocked the door and went through. It led into a dark passage that led to a road under a bridge. A few City Watchmen were patrolling up and down it so the Princess hid until she could sneak past them. On a wall, she saw a sign that said ‘John Clavering Boulevard’.

There were some steps leading up to the main street and, when the Princess sneaked up, she smelled something horrible. There was a big metal cart on rails and it was piled right to the top with dead bodies wrapped in blood-stained sheets. The City Watch was busy throwing more bodies on it and didn’t notice the Princess sneak by.

The Princess felt like crying. She knew the Empress would so sad if she knew how many of her people were dead. Then, the Princess was sad because they were her people now and she couldn’t help them.

She got through John Clavering Boulevard without being seen and reached a street by the river. The Princess went to the riverbank and looked around for any boats. She saw an upturned row boat at the far side so she ran up to it. A lady was standing beside it and she looked sick. She was holding her stomach and moaning and big flies were buzzing around her.

The Princess thought the lady might be able to help her row the boat so she called out to her. The lady turned around and her face was covering in blood. It was coming from both her eyes and her mouth and, when she saw the Princess, she screamed and started running towards her. The Princess got scared and ran back. The sick lady followed her, screaming and sicking up blood. The Princess got lost in the alleys and felt like crying again.

Then, she found the road that led to the VIP Exit and the Black Twin was there. He was really mad at the Princess for escaping but then he saw the sick lady behind the Princess. He said a very bad swearword, took out his pistol and shot the sick lady in the head.

The Princess really did cry this time and shouted to the Black Twin, “You killed her! Can’t you see she was sick?”

The Black Twin said, “Well, it’s not sick anymore. I did that weeper a favour by putting it out of its misery now and you should be thanking me on bended knee for saving you from it.”

The Princess said, “She’s a sick person, not a monster. She didn’t deserve to die. Mother didn’t want any of them to die.”

The Black Twin said another very bad swearword, told the Princess to be quiet, picked her up and carried her back into the Golden Cat. He told the Madame what had happened, using lots of very bad swearwords, and the Madame was really, really, really mad at the Princess. She gave her twenty smacks on the back of the neck and told her that she deserved to die of the plague for being so stupid.

The Princess cried all night at how bad things were in the city.


	6. Chapter 4

The Princess still hadn’t given up trying to escape. She thought that the dead bodies and the weepers were all the Spymaster’s fault. He was in charge of the city but he hadn’t cured the plague. She though that, as soon as she became Empress, she would lock him up and she would make things better.

She listened to the girls talking again and she found out that the Madame was keeping the key to the VIP exit in her office now. The Princess didn’t like the idea of sneaking into the Madame’s office but she knew she had to do it or she would never escape.

One night, when the dormitory floor was quiet, the Princess sneaked out of her room and downstairs. A floor above the Madame’s office was a big room where the Madame talked to important people. As the Princess was sneaking down, she saw the Black Twin and the White Twin go into the big room and they were mad about something.

When the door closed, the Princess tried to sneak past but, then, the White Twin said, “Are you waiting for me to say I’m sorry?”

And the Black Twin said, “No, I’m waiting for you to start bleeding from the eyes so I’ll have a reason to shoot you!”

The Princess was curious so she went up to the door and pressed her ear against it. The Black Twin and the White Twin yelled at each other for a long time. The Princess found out that the White Twin had said something to the Lord Regent that had made him very angry.

Then, the Black Twin left the office and the Princess couldn’t run away fast enough. He grabbed the Princess and pulled her into the office.

The Black Twin shouted, “So, that’s your plan, you little rat. Spy on us and tell Burrows everything you hear? Oh, I bet you can’t wait for the day we get dragged to the executioner. You’ll mount our heads on the top of Dunwall Tower for all to see, I expect.”

The White Twin said, “Calm down, Custis. You’re not making things any better.”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you!”

“Brother dear, why don’t we just send the little spy up to bed and then we can have a civilised conversation once you’ve sobered up?”

“No, no, we might as well keep her here. She’s going to tell Burrows everything she’s heard anyway. We might as well let her hear the lot for all the difference it’ll make!”

The Princess screwed up her courage and asked, “What happened? Why do you think you’re going to be executed?”

The White Twin tried to tell her it was none of her business but the Black Twin said, “That idiot tried to threaten Burrows into giving us more money for keeping you hidden. Yes, that’s why we’re keeping you here. We need money. That’s not going to be a secret anymore, now that Campbell knows it. But we’re not getting enough so Morgan thought he could squeeze some more money out of the shrivelled - ” He called the Lord Regent a very bad swearword, “ – by threatening to let you catch the plague if he didn’t. Well, Burrows didn’t like that one bit, did he? He told us that your safety was essential for the welfare of the Empire and, if we didn’t take it seriously, we should know just how easy it would be for a misunderstanding to occur. A misunderstanding that results in us being arresting for kidnapping you!”

The Princess didn’t understand the last part, “But, you did kidnap me. That’s not a misunderstanding.”

The Black Twin got so mad that he threw an ashtray at the wall, “By the Outsider, I’m surrounded by idiots! Burrows was threatening to accuse us as the kidnappers and the people who hired assassins to kill your mother! He was threatening to frame us for the whole thing!”

Then, the Princess understood, “So, he’s going to tell the truth, just not all of it.”

The Black Twin threw his hands in the air and said, “She finally gets it!”

The White Twin said, “That’s how grown-ups lie, girl. They don’t imagine up a false story, they just twist the truth until it suits them. You’ll see a lot of that when you’re Empress.”

The Black Twin took some letters out of his pocket and started tearing them up as he said, “This is just marvellous, isn’t it? The debt collectors are camped outside the Hall, the mines are running dry, Burrows has the axe over our necks and Treavor won’t stop moralising at us!” He threw the letter pieces into the fire, “Who does he think he’s fooling? He might be acting like a firebrand now but, as soon as Burrows comes down hard on him, he’ll fall straight back into line, you mark my words.”

The Princess has been thinking while the Black Twin was talking and she had thought of another plan. She said, “Maybe, if I tell Burrows that you’ve been really nice to me and he had to be nice to you or I won’t let him be Lord Regent, he won’t execute you.”

The twins stared at her for a few seconds. Then, they started laughing. The Black Twin said, “You really think that you have a say in all this? You think Burrows is going to listen to anything you say? Outsider’s eyes, girl, you’re just a pawn in this power-play and pawns don’t get a say.”

“They do!” The Princess said, “If Burrows does what I say, I won’t try to escape and tell the truth to everyone. And, if you’re nice to me now, I won’t try to escape anymore.”

The Black Twin stopped laughing and his face went strange. Then, he said, “Shut up, you two. I need to think about this.” He took a very long time. When he stopped thinking, he said, “Alright, girl, you’ve got a deal. What do you want in return?”

The White Twin said, “No tea parties. Unlike Custis, I’ve got some dignity left.”

The Princess said, “Don’t worry. I only invite friends to tea parties. I want a new set of colouring pencils, some more paper and a walk outside every week.”

The Black Twin looked surprise, “Is that it?”

The Princess shook her head, “You’re not going to say yes to anything more, are you? So, are you going to give me all those things?”

The Black Twin folded his arms and said, “We’ll see. Are you going to promise to stop trying to escape and tell Burrows to be nice to us if we do?”

The Princess folded her arms and said, “We’ll see.”


	7. Interlude 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Treavor for another Interlude.

_One day until the Boyle party._

Treavor started to wish that the Lord Regent had more allies. Then, at least, Corvo could be sent off to deal with them and he could feel like something was being done.

Sessions in Parliament were enough to make him want to scream. Hiram Burrows was not taking kindly to the Pendleton voting bloc suddenly turning against him. Treavor had found himself being taken aside regularly for excruciating meetings with the Lord Regent in which he was by turns reminded of how much his brothers had benefitted from supporting him, offered thinly-veiled bribes and informed that he would be ruined one way or another by going down this route.

It was almost like he was a child again.

“He’s slipping.” Martin assured him when he had relayed these meetings in the bar, “He’s losing his grip on power and he knows it. I’ve had a couple of visits from him myself this week but I was able to fend him off.”

“It’s all very fine for you.” Treavor retorted, “You’ve got an army of Overseers to protect you. All I’ve got are a couple of underpaid bodyguards.”

“Fretting like this isn’t good for you, Pendleton. It’ll shorten your life. In any case, he wouldn’t dare do anything really drastic to either of us. Not so soon after our, ah, predecessors have gone. One High Overseer being thrown out is unfortunate. Two in the space of a week is suspicious. I can’t imagine politicians would be much different in that respect. Not to mention, if you go, he’s going to have to go to all the hassle of bringing your cousin Celia under his thumb.”

“I’d like to see him try.” The mental image of his stiff-as-a-corpse cousin staring down Burrows made Treavor smile.

“There, you see. So long as no one does anything stupid, we’re both fine.”

The door to the courtyard was hanging open. The faint, near-constant sound of Piero tinkering with his new arc pylon drifted through. Though the sun was shining, there was a chill in the air. Treavor stood up, intending to shut the door and keep the warmth in, and, in doing so, heard the voice of Lady Emily clear as a bell coming from outside.

“Callista, how do you grow a conscience?”

Treavor stopped, his hand on the door. Martin, too, seemed to sense something important in this question and crept from the bar to join him in their impromptu hiding place.

“Uh…I don’t know. Usually, people are just born with one.”

“What about people who aren’t? Do they stay without a conscience or can they grow one later?”

“That’s a rather deep question for someone so young. Do you know someone who’s grown a conscience?”

“I don’t know. I think…it was Morgan Pendleton.”

Treavor’s instinct had proved right. He moved closer to the doorframe, eager to catch every word.

“Really? Was he nice to you?”

“No…and yes. I just heard his brother once, telling him ‘now’s not the time to grow a conscience, Morgan’, and I wondered how that happens. Does it take days? Or weeks? Is it like a plant or an animal? Does it need feeding?”

“I think we need to ask Overseer Martin. My head’s spinning just thinking about it.”

With practised swiftness, Treavor and Martin hurried from the door. Treavor positioned himself in front of the stove, half-pretending to warm his hands, and Martin assumed a seat in the bar all before Miss Curnow and Lady Emily entered.

“Excuse me, Overseer Martin. Lady Emily has a question for you.”

As Martin theorised about willpower and environment, Treavor’s head whirled with questions. Just what had happened between Lady Emily between his brothers at the Golden Cat? Had Morgan experienced a change of heart? Could they have been brought over to the Loyalist Conspiracy after all?


	8. Chapter 5

The Black Twin and the White Twin kept their word. The Princess had new drawing supplies that day and the Madame took her for a walk around the back garden every week. The Princess didn’t like these walks as much as she thought she would. She had to wear a wig that smelled bad and a coat that was too big for her and she had to hold the Madame’s hand at all times. The Madame didn’t like it either. She called her a spoilt brat and a nuisance every time.

The Princess may have promised not to try escaping but she didn’t promise that she would stop succeeding in escaping. That meant she had to get her escape absolutely right first time or the Black Twin and the White Twin would call off the deal. She listened to the ladies in the dormitories and found out that the Madame had destroyed the VIP Exit key so the only way they could open the door was to ask the Madame for the Master Key. The Princess started following the Madame around in case she dropped it or put it down where the Princess could take it.

She got caught a few times but it was always the ladies who caught her. Though they said it was more than their jobs’ worth to cover for her, they always did and the worst thing they did was not give her any sweet biscuits with her dinner. That was okay. The Princess didn’t like the sweet biscuits from the Golden Cat. They were stale and not very sweet at all.

One day, when she was following the Madame, she had to hide in a room that had a balcony that looked out over the river. There were too many people in the Golden Cat and she couldn’t leave the room without being spotted. She had to just hide and wait. She went out onto the balcony and looked out over the river. The houses on the other side hadn’t changed but there were so few lights in them. The Princess wondered if the houses were dark because everyone in them had died.

Then, the Princess wondered if she could just jump off the balcony into the river and swim away. The balcony was very high up but the Princess wasn’t scared of heights. She was about to climb up over the railings when the door opened and the White Twin came in, dragging the Black Twin. The Princess had no time to hide so she thought fast and said, “I’m not escaping. I’m just exploring.”

The White Twin glared at her for a moment and said, “Oh, fine. I can’t be bothered dealing with you.” He laid the Black Twin down on the couch and went over to the balcony. He took out a box of cigarettes and started smoking. Just the Princess was about to leave, he said, “I threw my little brother off this balcony once. I forget why. Something about a bottle of wine, I think. I thought he’d just get soaked but it turns out you can get hurt falling into water from this height. He got a dislocated shoulder and had to spend a few weeks in bed from hypothermia. Well, he said it was hypothermia. It was the Month of Earth. The water can’t have been that cold. He just wanted an excuse to stay in bed if you ask me.”

The Princess was very glad that she hadn’t jumped. The White Twin didn’t say anything for a while. He just smoked and the Black Twin was snoring on the couch. The Princess couldn’t leave because it was still crowded so she went back onto the balcony.

She saw a boat sailing past. It had a huge pile of corpses on it and the smell blew towards the Golden Cat. The Princess felt sick and White Twin said, “Oh, Outsider’s eyes, can’t they at least keep the smell away from us? I’ll have to tell Burrows to make them change the course of those boats.”

The Princess asked, “Won’t that make Burrows angry?”

The White Twin said, “No, of course not. It’s a perfectly reasonable suggestion. I’m sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to smell corpses every time they open a window.”

The Princess thought the White Twin was being silly and not thinking about the important things but she didn’t want to argue with him unless he called off their deal. She still couldn’t leave. The silence went on and the White Twin kept smoking on the balcony.

The Princess said what she had been thinking since her last escape, “Burrows can’t cure the plague, can he?”

The White Twin sighed and said, “The coin finally drops. I worked that out months ago.”

“He can’t rule Dunwall or the Empire either.”

“Now, you’re talking sense.”

“By the time I’m grown up and I can rule on my own, there won’t be an Empire to rule because of Burrows.”

“Since when did you become so clever?”

The Princess gave him her best frown, “Why are you still doing what he says, then? Why aren’t you and your brother making things better if you know Burrows is bad for the Empire?”

The White Twin gave her a strange smile that wasn’t evil or even happy, “Even if we did care about the Empire, there’s not a thing we can do. We may control part of Parliament but Burrows has the Abbey and the City Watch in his pocket. Even if he didn’t, he can still make good his threat to have us executed as your kidnappers as soon as we stop dancing to his tune. That’s a vital part of growing up: only choosing battles you can win. You’d better learn that fast or your life under Burrows is going to be very miserable indeed.”

The Princess didn’t like this idea at all but she chose her battles and decided not to argue. Instead, she asked, “If I’m just a pawn in this game, what are you and your brother?”

The White Twin took a long time to answer that and his answer was, “Two more pawns.” He threw his tenth cigarette in the river and said, “It sounds like it’s quietened down a bit. This’ll be a good chance to get back to your room without Prudence seeing you. If she’s outside, I’ll distract her.”


	9. Chapter 6

No matter how hard the Princess tried, she couldn’t take the Master Key. The Madame took it with her everywhere, even when she slept. The Princess had many narrow escapes and often had to be led back to her room by the fancy-dressed ladies.

Then, one night, when the Princess was thinking about learning to pickpocket, she heard a scream from one of the dormitories. Fancy-dressed ladies started running downstairs and they looked scared. When they had gone, the Princess pressed her ear against the door. She heard a moan and it was just like the moan the sick lady was making.

The Princess was very scared. Then, she heard voices coming from outside. She could hear the Madame and the Black Twin and the White Twin. She heard the Black Twin say a very bad swearword and then say, “Now, what are we going to do? I thought you said this place was clean!”

The Madame said, “This is none of my doing. Perhaps one of your guards or one of the guests brought it in.”

The White Twin said, “What are we going to do about the girl? We can’t keep her here with the plague about.”

The Madame said, “It’s none of my business where you take her. Until the plague has passed over this establishment, she’s your responsibility. I won’t have time to attend to the brat while I’m cleaning up this mess.”

The Black Twin started to shout at her but the White Twin stopped him and said, “She has a point. She can’t stay here. We’ll have to take her home.”

The Black Twin said, “What? And, have the servants see her and tell tales? You do remember the reason we brought her here in the first place, don’t you?”

“If they don’t see her, they won’t tell tales and it’s the best option we have, Custis, so let’s move now while everyone’s in a panic.”

So, the Princess was made to wear the wig and coat she wore for her walks and was taken away from the Golden Cat through the VIP exit. The Black Twin kept a tight hold on her hand all the way and warned her that he would run her over with the railcar if she tried to run away. It was a long journey to the Black Twin and the White Twin’s house and the Black Twin spent the journey telling the White Twin taking the Princess to their house was a very bad idea.

The Princess thought she might be forced to sleep in the attic and to do chores like in fairytales but she wasn’t. She was blindfolded and led up to a small room with white sheets over all the furniture.

The Black Twin was very annoyed and said, “Right, I’ll make this short. You’re not to leave this room at all. Not to explore, not to escape, not even if there’s a fire. You can burn to a crisp for all I care so long as you don’t make a noise or tell anyone who you are. If any of the servants find out you’re here, you’ll have me to answer to and, trust me, I can make Prudence look softhearted. Just hope you’re not going to stay here long. I certainly do.”

The Princess heard the Black Twin and the White Twin argue for over an hour after they left. The Black Twin shouted a lot and said a lot of very bad swearwords.

Living at the Black Twin and the White Twin’s house wasn’t very nice. The Princess pulled all the covers off the furniture and, though everything looked fancy, she still didn’t like it. The White Twin came in to bring her food and some drawing things and a few books to keep her quiet and she didn’t see anyone else. The White Twin would sometimes forget to lock the door behind him but the Princess was too scared of the Black Twin to try escaping.

The Princess didn’t sleep very well there. The White Twin’s room was next door to hers and she could hear him talking in his sleep. It sounded like he was having nightmares. Sometimes, when she pressed her ear against the wall, she could hear words like ‘crows’ and ‘you’re dead’. Sometimes, he would get up and go to the Princess’ room. He would open the door, look at her for a few minutes and then go back to his room.

A week after she left the Golden Cat, the Princess was bored and unable to sleep. She listened to the White Twin waking up from a nightmare and heard him leave his room. He didn’t go to the Princess’ room, though, so the Princess looking through the keyhole and saw him go into the Black Twin’s room.

The Princess screwed up her courage, left her room and sneaked over to the Black Twin’s door to listen.

The White Twin said, “You too, eh?”

The Black Twin said, “Nightmares aren’t a sign of the plague, are they?”

“If they are, I’ve had the plague for months. Have you got anything to drink?”

“I’ve just drunk it. Outsider’s eyes, I’m getting as bad as Treavor.”

“Yes, you are. I’m going that way too. It’s the only way I can get any sleep these days. I wonder if bad dreams was why Treavor turned to drink. Say, where is Treavor anyway? He hasn’t slept at home for weeks.”

“No idea. In the Flooded District for all I care. I just want him to stop pestering us. You know he’s got our cousins on our backs now and I can’t just throw their letters on the fire, can I?”

“Hmm, even I have to admit, it’s getting very irritating.”

They were silent for a moment. Then, the White Twin said, “The girl acts more like her mother than I thought.”

The Black Twin said, “A bit too like her mother.”

It was silent again for a minute. Then, the White Twin said, “Was it the same nightmare as last night?”

The Black Twin said, “Yes. The same nightmare for months. It must be some kind of illness.”

“Is it similar to mine? The Empress demanding her daughter, the girl turning up dead, a flock of crows attacking and that black skull staring down at you?”

“About the same, yes but let’s not talk about that. I don’t like being reminded of it.”

There was another silence. Then, the White Twin said, “Custis, do you think Treavor really has found a way to bring down Burrows? He mentioned something about a group who wanted to resist him last time I spoke to him. Do you think they would offer us protection?”

The Black Twin said, “Listen to yourself, Morgan. This is Treavor we’re talking about. Even if by some miracle he did find a resistance group, they’d sooner throw us into the Flooded District than offer us protection. We’re too close to Burrows.”

The White Twin said, “Treavor was close to Burrows too.”

The Black Twin sighed and sounded annoyed, “Which is why it’s unlikely that he’s found a resistance group. Who would take him? Anyway, you’re not seriously considering going against Burrows, are you?”

“Not going against him, exactly. Just getting away from him.” The White Twin sighed, “The Empress shouldn’t have been killed. That wasn’t part of the plan. Burrows only organised it to save his own skin and the city went downhill the minute he took over.”

“Now’s not the time to grow a conscience, Morgan. We bet on the wrong hound and there’s nothing we can do but take whatever winnings we can and make our exit on our own terms. Right, that’s enough talk. Shut up and go to sleep.”

They stopped talking after that and the White Twin didn’t come out of the Black Twin’s room until morning. The White Twin started going to the Black Twin’s room every night after that.


	10. Interlude 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, forgot Chapter 3 there. If you're wondering why the story sounded a bit disjointed near the middle, that's why. Rest assured, I've put it up so you can go back and read it.

The day of the Boyle party arrived.

Treavor soon found that he didn’t have the luxury of thinking about his brothers. Not only was Burrows getting more annoyed at his continued defiance but the chief whip, Lord Shaw, was on his case.

“You don’t seem to care at all about the Conservative party.” He told him after a particularly acrimonious session, “All you seem to care about is taunting the Lord Regent. I don’t think I need to tell you how irritated the Prime Minister is.”

“Well,” It was very hard at that moment not to give something away, “perhaps, he should be taunted. Has it never occurred to you that this new eminent domain bill he tried to pass meant he could take over your house and property if you so much as looked at him the wrong way?”

“Don’t give me all that high-minded nonsense. I know the real reason you blocked it.” Treavor found it a strain to keep a straight face, “You were friends with the Brimsleys and you wanted revenge for their deportation. You’ve always been petty. Don’t try to convince me you’ve grown up since you’ve become head of the family.”

“Petty? Ha! That’s rich coming from the man who challenged his own butler to a duel for a remark he made at a party.”

“There’s not a bit of truth to that and you know it. You were the one who started spreading that rumour, after all. Thinking about taking over my position, are you?”

“Now, who’s spreading discrediting rumours? Besides, if I really wanted to bring you down, I’d start telling everyone about what your plague-rat-faced wife does at weekends. It would be much quicker.”

He’d done it now. He could see the vein in Lord Shaw’s forehead getting close to bursting point. For a single terrifying second, Treavor thought he might attack him but, instead, he said in his dangerously low voice, “You’ll answer for saying that at the Boyle party tonight. I’ll be waiting for you in the back garden, wearing a wolf mask. No need to bring a weapon. I’ll provide.”

As soon as he got back to the Hound Pits Pub, he made a beeline for the drink storage. Lord Shaw was an excellent shot. Treavor was good, at best. If he duelled Shaw and lost…the Loyalist Conspiracy would fall apart. The Pendleton family would fall apart.

No, that was out of the question. He would simply have to miss the Boyle’s party. He would miss the opportunity to remind Waverly of his new title but, in times of crisis, sacrifices had to be made.

But, then, Shaw would go around calling him a coward and goodness knew what else…

And, now that he thought about it, the position of chief whip was awfully tempting…

And, no one would think a lord dying in a duel would be suspicious…

He pulled some paper, ink and a pen from his trunk and started to write.

Though only Corvo was going, there was still a buzz of excitement in the air when Treavor descended into the bar. Lydia could be heard gossiping to…the other servant about the party she had once served in the Brimsley household. Treavor handed the note to Corvo as casually as he could but wished he had done it later. All he had left to do was worry that Corvo would open it out of curiousity or that he wouldn’t deliver it at all.

Everyone seemed to be at a loss for what to do in the afternoon. Excitement had made them finish all their work early so everyone was sitting in or around the bar as the minutes stretched on.

Then, the door was flung open and Lady Emily hurtled in, “It’s _finished!_ ” She declared to the room, making them all jump. Under one arm was an audiograph and under the other was a stack of audiograph cards.

Corvo recovered from the start first and said, “You’ve finished what, Emily?”

“My memoirs. About my time at the Golden Cat.”

“Is that why you wanted me out of the tower until bedtime?” Miss Curnow asked, her eyebrows raised, “So I wouldn’t hear you recording them.”

“That’s right. Do you want to hear them?”

“Only if you don’t mind us hearing it.” Corvo said, looking and sounding serious, “You don’t have to play them to everyone if you don’t want to.”

“Don’t worry, Corvo. I want to.”

No matter how many doubts Corvo and Miss Curnow expressed, Lady Emily was firm. She would play them to everyone. She set up the audiograph, picked up the first card and started the memoir.


	11. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last Emily POV chapter!

The Princess was kept at the Black Twin and the White Twin’s home for two weeks. The Princess thought at the Golden Cat must be ‘quarantined’, which was a word she’d learned by listening to the Announcements which meant that it would be closed until the plague was gone. The Princess didn’t know if she should be happy or sad about that. She didn’t like being locked up in the Golden Cat and she thought it was a nasty place but didn’t like the Black Twin and the White Twin’s house either.

One night, the Black Twin and the White Twin came into her room and told her that the Golden Cat was safe to go back to. They wouldn’t answer any of her questions but made her wear the wig and coat and dragged her down to the railcar.

They took her to another room at the Golden Cat and told her that her old room had been sealed off since it had been messed up while she was away. When the Princess listened to the fancy-dressed ladies talking, she found out that half the building was sealed off because the plague had messed it up and they were going to have to make do with the clean half. They said the Madame couldn’t afford to keep the Golden Cat closed any longer so she wasn’t going to wait until everywhere was disinfected.

The Princess also found out that some of the fancy-dressed ladies had died after catching the plague and so had some of the men who visited them. The Madame was very worried that the Lord Regent would try and close the Golden Cat. She had to do a lot to stop them from claiming the Golden Cat as state property and shipping everyone to the Flooded District.

Though the ladies had moved back in, the Golden Cat wasn’t open. The Madame was planning a big reopening to show everyone the plague wasn’t there anymore and that the Golden Cat should stay open. She shouted at all the ladies to make everything perfect and shouted at the Princess when she caught her following her.

Then, the day before the big reopening, there was a knock at the Princess’ door and the White Twin came in with two fancy-dressed ladies. He was very wobbly and giggly and he said, “Come on, girl! We’re having a party and you’re invited!”

The Princess hadn’t got an invitation but she hadn’t been to a party in ages so she went with him anyway. They went into the office where the Black Twin and the White Twin had argued and all of the fancy-dressed ladies were there. It wasn’t like the parties the Princess had been to. There were some tartlets, some sweet biscuits and some fruit but only wine and whiskey to drink. The Princess didn’t like the taste of the whiskey but she had some wine, some tartlets and some grapes.

The White Twin raised his glass and said, “A toast to Thaddeus Campbell! May he die a slow and painful death!”

He drank but the Princess didn’t. She asked one of the fancy-dressed ladies what had happened and she said, “Campbell has been thrown out of the Abbey. He’s been given the Heretic’s Brand. Good riddance, too. I’ve been in his secret room and the things that happen in there are disgusting. And that’s coming from me.”

The Princess said, “I thought Overseers weren’t supposed to be with women.”

The fancy-dressed lady laughed, “Believe me, I’ve had more Overseers come to see me than all the other kinds of men put together.”

The White Twin called over her, “He’s not just thrown out of the Abbey. The Heretic’s Brand means he can’t even live in Dunwall. No one’s allowed to give him food or shelter so he’ll die of hunger if the plague doesn’t get him first!” He laughed so hard that he nearly fell off his chair and a lot of the ladies joined in. The Princess had never liked the High Overseer. She thought he was ugly and not a very good High Overseer but she still didn’t feel like laughing at his death.

The White Twin said, “And, his blackmail book’s gone too! I tell you, that’s a huge weight off my mind. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you ladies that I have a few secrets that might get me into a lot of trouble if they got out.” He started laughing again and so did the ladies.

The Princess was confused, “What’s a blackmail book?”

The White Twin just started laughing again, “Oh, this is too much! She doesn’t know what blackmail is! Oh, isn’t she precious? Here, come up on your Uncle Morgan’s knee and he’ll tell you all you need to know.”

The Princess didn’t want to but he picked her up and put her on his lap before she could say anything. His breath stank of wine when he said, “Now, blackmail is when you know a secret about someone and you tell them that, if they don’t give you something, you’re going to tell everyone that secret. Now, Campbell had a big book full of everyone’s secrets and that’s how he became High Overseer. He blackmailed everyone in the Abbey and beyond to give him that position.”

The Princess was shocked. She was sure the Empress would never have allowed it if she knew. When she gasped, the White Twin just laughed again, “Yes, I know. Shocking, isn’t it? But, it’s more common than you think. You’d better learn how to do it when you grow up or you’ll be the victim of it sooner or later.”

Then, the door opened and the Black Twin came in. He wasn’t wobbly or laughing. He looked very angry. The White Twin cheered, “Custis, there you are! Where’s your drink?”

The Black Twin marched across the room, knocking over ladies as he went, and grabbed the White Twin, “This is no time for drinking, you idiot! Everyone, out! Party’s over!”

The fancy-dressed ladies ran to their dormitories and pushed the Princess up with them. But the Princess doubled back and saw the Black Twin dragging the White Twin downstairs towards the bathroom. She followed them and watched the Black Twin fill a large bucket with cold water and stick the White Twin’s head in it. The Princess thought he was going to drown him but, when the White Twin started struggling, the Black Twin pulled him back up.

The White Twin wasn’t laughing any more. He was angry too, “What in the Void did you do that for?”

The Black Twin said, “Do you really need to ask that question? Honestly, I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I? As soon as my back is turned, you guzzle half the Cat’s supply of drink and make a fool of yourself with the girls!”

“I didn’t make a fool of myself!”

“You were certainly acting like one!”

“I was only celebrating Campbell’s banishment. You can’t deny that’s something to celebrate.”

“It isn’t something to celebrate at all. This is very serious.”

“Oh, don’t be such a wet blanket, Custis. You hated him as much as I did. Probably as much as everyone in the Abbey did. That’s why he got the Heretic’s Brand.”

“It wasn’t overseers who did that, you fool! And, it wasn’t one of Burrows’ men either. Burrows is throwing a fit at the Tower, demanding to find who did it and to find his black book. Don’t you know what that means?”

“That Burrows is trying to cover his tracks?”

“No, idiot! I know covering up when I see and I did not see it at the Tower. Whoever branded Campbell was not acting on Burrows’ orders and they stole the book! That book has all of Burrows’ plans in it, including where the girl’s hidden and who’s hiding her!”

“It’ll be one of the Overseers. No one can just break into the High Overseer’s Office and brand the High Overseer without anyone noticing. Besides, who else but an overseer would know that the Heretic’s Brand exists, let alone how to use it?”

“Everyone said the same about Dunwall Tower, didn’t they? Yet, Daud and the Whalers got in and killed the Empress without anyone seeing them, didn’t they?”

“Oh, come off it, Custis. Are you seriously suggesting that Daud branded the High Overseer?”

“Well, why wouldn’t he? He’s a knife for hire. If someone’s paid him more than Burrows, then - ”

“Then, Campbell would have been killed, not branded. Custis, you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing. Come upstairs, have a drink and relax. The overseers aren’t our business and you can bet your life that Burrows has a replacement just like Campbell already lined up.”

“It’s not safe here. We’ll hide the girl in the Hall again if we have to. I just want to get away.”

“Come on. You’re fretting again. Let’s get some drinks in you and maybe get one of the girls to help you let off steam. You’ll feel much better afterwards.”

The White Twin started pushing the Black Twin upstairs and the Princess had to sneak back to her room.

The wine she had drunk gave her a headache the next day and she stayed in her room until the door opened. It was the Lord Protector in a black skull mask and he’d come to rescue her. He unlocked the VIP exit and they left together. The Princess is in a safe place now where the Spymaster can’t get her but, sometimes, she feels sorry for the Black Twin and the White Twin. She knew they aren’t dead but something very bad has happened to them.

She knows they were horrible men who cared too much about themselves and too little about everyone else but she still feels sorry for them.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And back to Treavor for the epilogue.

The final audiograph slid out of the machine and was greeted by a ringing silence. Lady Emily had kept her eyes on her knees throughout, only looking up to put the next one in when the current one had finished.

At last, Miss Curnow cleared her throat and said, “That’s very impressive, Lady Emily. Most girls your age wouldn’t be able to record a story that long.”

“It’s not a story, it’s a memoir.” Lady Emily pointed out, “It all really happened.”

“Everything?” Martin put in, “Even the part when Mor – sorry, the White Twin tried to make you cry?”

“Everything.”

“Disgraceful.” Lydia shook her head, “A grown man tormenting a little girl just because he was bored. You’d think he’d find better things to do at the Golden Cat.”

“What I’d like to know,” Havelock said, all business-like, “is why that City Watchman took a girl who looked like the Empress’ daughter and said she was the Empress’ daughter back to the Golden Cat.”

“He was probably paid off.” Martin reasoned, “Custis was right. The Golden Cat isn’t exactly a fortress. If Lady Emily escaped, they would need some sort of insurance policy. Just like the one Burrows had on the twins.” Treavor gave Martin a quizzical look to which Martin responded with an amused expression, “Isn’t it obvious? Saying that he’d frame them wasn’t a threat. It’s what he was intending to do the whole time.”

“What?” Treavor spluttered, “But, that’s not – that can’t be – my brothers were close allies to the Lord Regent. He wouldn’t repay their services with execution!”

“Wouldn’t he?” Martin raised an eyebrow, “I didn’t think you were so naïve, Treavor. Look at it logically. They may have held a major voting bloc but the problem with gaining power by inheritance is that it makes you very replaceable. Burrows wouldn’t have thought twice about disposing of one or two brothers if there was another one waiting in the wings.”

This idea had never occurred to Treavor before and it made him very uncomfortable. Havelock didn’t make him feel any better by adding, “Not to mention that’s too neat of a solution to waste on a threat. Burrows would need a scapegoat or two to punish in order to make a show of strength. And, it would take care of two loose ends nicely. If Burrows hadn’t planned on it from the start, he probably was by that point.”

Treavor was feeling worse than he ever had since Corvo had returned from the Golden Cat. He had done his best to dissuade Havelock from marking his brothers as targets. They had a voting bloc, yes, but so had other lords who might be closer to the Lord Regent. Then, Campbell’s black book had been decoded and all his attempts were fruitless.

“If only I’d known they were dissatisfied with Burrows.” Treavor said aloud to no one in particular, “We might have been able to negotiate or offer them protection.”

He caught Corvo’s eye. He was sitting at the table on which the audiograph stood, hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer and looking as doubtful at Treavor felt.

“Not a hope.” Martin shook his head, “They made their choice and they were too proud to accept help from you.”

“Exactly.” Havelock said in the firm voice that meant the subject was closed, “What’s done is done and we don’t want men who get cold feet at the last minute anyway.”

Havelock turned around and departed to his room. Martin soon followed after pausing to praise Emily on recording such a good memoir. Lydia and Wallace slipped away to resume their chores and Treavor was left alone with Corvo, Miss Curnow and Lady Emily. Treavor longed to question Lady Emily further about the things she had heard his brothers say but, at the same time, knew the answers would probably make him feel worse.

It was Lady Emily who spoke first, “Corvo, is it wrong to feel sorry for people who did bad things to you?”

Corvo shook his head, “No, it’s not. Sometimes, it’s better to feel sorry for them. It’s better than blindly hating them.”

Lady Emily looked comforted at that but Corvo continued to look troubled right up to the point when he donned the black skull-like mask and left for the Boyle Estate. Lady Emily left the pub to watch him go with Miss Curnow at her side. This gave Treavor an opportunity to sit down at the table, turn on the audiograph, listen to the tale again and wonder what life would be like at the Hound Pits Pub with his brothers sitting around him, united in a common cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Hope you all liked it. And, yes, Burrows' plan to frame the Pendletons for Emily's kidnapping is my headcanon. It's a neat solution and, with their reputation, no one would be queuing up to defend them even if Burrows wasn't a tyrant.


End file.
